Erin McKown displaying artwork in WesBanco lobby

From staff reports

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The Erin McKown art exhibit may be viewed at WesBanco Bank, 415 Market St., during regular business hours of Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the month of November.

PARKERSBURG — Local artist Erin McKown will be displaying her multi-medium art exhibit through November at WesBanco in downtown Parkersburg

The Erin McKown art exhibit may be viewed at WesBanco Bank, 415 Market St., during regular business hours of Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

McKown began drawing at a young age and progressed into various forms of media and currently uses graphite, colored pencil, oil paint, ball point pen and photography.

“I am a traditional wildlife artist with a focus on nature and realism. My images are created through imagination and observation of the natural world,” she said.

She has had juried exhibits at Tamarack in Beckley “Best of West Virginia Exhibition” where she won the People’s Choice Award in 2014; Kentucky National Wildlife Art Exhibition in Henderson, Ky.; Randolph County Community Art Center’s “Annual Gala Juried Fine Arts Exhibit” in Elkins where she won Best of Show; the Culture Center’s “West Virginia Juried Exhibition” in Charleston. Her solo exhibitions have been “Visions of Nature” in Fairmont and “Natural Wonder” at the Parkersburg Art Center.

In 2017, McKown won the Dr. Ghassan Khalil Award for “Go Wild” at the Parkersburg Art Center. She was a finalist for the DNR’s “2017 West Virginia Wildlife Calendar” contest in Elkins. She was selected as one of five judges for the 2016 and 2017 West Virginia Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest.

McKown noted, “When drawing or painting an animal, I refer to my reference photographs in order to depict an accurate representation. Often times, I image the animal in a specific time or place and paint it into my ideal setting.”

McKown is a 2015 graduate of Fairmont State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Studio Art.